My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
On July 26th Our Holy Orthodox Church Commemorates the Holy Righteous
Martyr Paraskeve (Paraskeva) and the Holy Hieromartyr Hermolaus,
Hermippus, and Hermocrates.
Dismissal Hymn of the Martyrs. Fourth Tone
Thy Martyrs, O Lord, in their courageous contest for Thee received
as the prize the crowns of incorruption and life from Thee, our
Immortal God. For since they possessed Thy strength, they cast
down the tyrants and wholly destroyed the demons’ strengthless
presumption. O Christ God, by their prayers, save our souls,
since Thou art Merciful.
Dismissal Hymn of the Righteous Martyr Paraskeve (Paraskeva). First Tone
Showing a diligence befitting thy calling, O namesake of preparedness, thou
hast gained, as thy dwelling, a faith worthy of thy name, O prizewinning
Paraskeve. Hence, thou pourest forth healing and intercedest for our souls.
+
The Hieromartyr Hermolaus was a priest in Nicomedia in the time of the pagan Emperor Maximian, and was with the 20,000 Martyrs condemned by the Emperor to be burned alive in their church. Saint Hermolaus somehow escaped death on that occasion, together with two other priests, Hermippus and Hermocrates. Hermolaus baptized Saint Panteleimon, with whom he was brought to trial, tortured and finally beheaded. Hermippus and Hermocrates suffered with them, and they were all crowned with wreaths of victory and glory in the Kingdom of Christ. THey suffered with honor in about 304 A.D.
Our Holy Righteous Martyr Paraskeve (Paraskeva) was born in Rome of Christian parents, she was brought up from her earliest youth in the Christian faith and gave herself wholeheartedly to the fulfilling of God’s commandments in her life. Since she was born on Friday (in Greek, Paraskeve), she was given this name, which means "preparation" or "preparedness", where "Friday" is called "the day of preparation" [John 19:31]. She brought others to the Way [Christianity] by means of her true and deep faith and devout life. When her parents died, Saint Paraskeve gave all her goods away to the poor and entered the Monastic life, As a nun, she preached thes truth of Christ with ever more burning zeal, not hiding from anyone, even though the Christian faith was at that time subject to bloody persecution by the pagan Roman authorities. Wicked Jews denounced Paraskeve for preaching a forbidden faith, and she was brought to trial before the pagan Emperor Antoninus. All the Emperor’s flattery was unavailing in shaking the faith of this servant of God. She was then put to torture by fire, and a white-hot helmet was placed on her head, but God saved her miraculously and she escaped and left Rome. She again began to go from city to city, there to bring the pagan people to the true Faith. In two more cities she was brought before Princes and judges, and tortured for her Lord, and quickly recovered from her wounds. The pagans, as ever, called her miracles magic, and ascribed her recovery to the power and mercy of their pagan gods. Saint Paraskeve once said to the Prince who was torturing her: ‘it is not your gods, O Prince, who heal me, but my Christ, the True God.’ She was finally beheaded by Prince Tarasius. Thus gloriously ended the fruitful life of this holy woman. Her holy relics were later tasken to Constantinople. She suffered for Christ in the 2nd Century.
__________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +
With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 